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Igor Stimac will remain the Indian Men's Football Team head coach for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers second-round fixtures against Kuwait (home) on June 6 and Asian champions Qatar (away) on June 11 after being asked by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to focus on the two upcoming crucial matches.
Igor Stimac attended a virtual meeting conducted by the AIFF on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, with Menla Ethenpa, Anilkumar Prabhakaran, and M Satyanarayan.
Although a large section of Indian football fans wanted their head coach to resign after the Blue Tigers' shocking 2-1 defeat against Afghanistan in Guwahati, it is now official that Stimac will remain at the helm for Team India's next two crucial World Cup Qualifier matches.
"The game against Kuwait on June 6 will be one of the biggest days in Indian football" - Igor Stimac
The Croatian tactician had recently stated that he would resign if he failed to take his team to the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers - a feat the nation has never achieved so far.
Although India began with a 1-0 away win over Kuwait, they suffered a 3-0 defeat against Qatar at home. It was followed by a 0-0 stalemate away against Afghanistan and a disappointing 2-1 defeat in Guwahati against Ashley Westwood's men. Addressing his previous remarks in a press conference ahead of the home game against Afghanistan, the 56-year-old said in the virtual meeting (via AIFF's official website):
"A year ago, I said that we would try and qualify for Round 3 and currently we are second in the group and two teams qualify. We will discuss this issue further after the match against Kuwait on June 6, 2024. The game against Kuwait on June 6 will be one of the biggest days in Indian football, as a win will immensely brighten our chances to qualify for Round 3 for the first time."
An optimistic Stimac not only asserted that his team would give their best to secure three points in the upcoming matches against Kuwait and Qatar but also revealed that he had fruitful discussions with the AIFF members during the virtual meeting. He opened up by saying:
"The staff and the players are all aware of this historic moment that awaits us, and we will do everything in our capacity to win. Fruitful discussions were had with the AIFF committee members. I appreciate everyone’s concern and hope we will join together to create history in June."
With four points from as many matches, Sunil Chhetri and Co. are currently placed second in Group A. Given their dismal performances against Afghanistan, the team needs to bounce back stronger against Kuwait at the Salt Lake Stadium on June 6. It would give them the much-needed momentum heading into a challenging away fixture against Qatar five days later.
